Machine for corrugating plastic blocks



H. R.'STRA|GHT.

MACHINE FOR coRnuGATmG PLASTIC BLOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE l?, 1919.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

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HALVER RUFUS STRAIGHT, OF ADEL, IOWA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. L1, 1922.

Application med :rime 17, 191e. serial No. 304,945,

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, llanvnn libros STRATGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing' at Adel, in the county ol Dallas, State o'i Iowa, have invented a Machine for Corrugating Plastic Blocks, olf which the tollowing is the specification.

'lhis invention relates to improvements in clay working machines and particularly to those designed to corrugate the ends o1 tile and hollen' building blocks. .lslcrcto'liorc the tile and building blocks have beenV cut with comparatively smooth ends. ln drain tile it is desirable to corrugate or groove the ends to permit water-to l'low more freely between the adjacent ends When laid in the ditch. In building blocks it is desirable to corrugate or groove the ends to permit the mortar and cement to adhere more lirmly, When the blocks are laid in aavall.

The object ot my invention is to provide a machine oli simple, durable and inexpensive construction adapted to automatically 'lorni grooves o1 "corrugations inthe ends ot blocks formed of plastic material.

A further object is to provide iu connection with a belt for conveying plastic blocks, means 'for automatically corrugating the upper and lower ends ot the' block arried thereby.

A still further object is to provide in a machine Jfor corrugating plastic tile and blocks, employing a carrying belt in connection with a corrugat-ing roller, means for .moving the belt and the corrugating portion ol? the roller at the same speed.

A further object is to provide a conveyor belt to receive plastic tile or blocks from the cutter and adapted to corrugate or serrate the lower ends oll the blocks or tile when placed in a vertical position thereon in connection With means -tor corrugating the upper ends of the blocks as they are advanced forward.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination o1 the various parts'ol the device whereby the objects contemplated are obtained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustratedin the accompanying drawings in Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal sectional I'View of my corrugating machine showing the manner in which the blocks or tile are carried beneath the corrugating roller.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 oil' Fig.`1.

Fig. 3 is a detailed vieiv showing the segments of the supporting frame and the support for .the corrugating roller in elevation.

Fig. l is a perspective viei'v of the tile that has been corrugated by yIny machine showing the manner in which the corrugations or serrations oi the block are applied to the ends.

Fig. o 1s a perspective view of the hollow building block showing the Way in Which the corrugations or serrations are applied to the ends thereof.

In the illustration ol' my invention disclosed in my accompanyii'ig drawings, I

have used the reference numeral to indirollers as clearly shown. in the Fig. 1 of the drawings.

This belt 17 is provided with longitudinal V shaped grooves 18 spaced slightly apart.l The grooves may, however, be formed transversely or diagonally Without materially departing trom the results obtained or the spirit of iny invention. The belt 17 is advanced forwardly in the direction ot the arrow by means of a suitable belt on the pulley 1G. Tables of this sort are generally placed with the right hand end, as f shown 1n Fig. 1, adjacent to the delivery end ci' the cutting table. The plastic blocks lare' manually taken from? the `cutter and placed on the belt 17 in a vertical position. 4The speed of the belt 17 is comparatively faster than that of the cutter table. This causes theV blocks to be spaced slightly apart and they are carried to a position Where they may be loaded on suitable ears, after which 'they are. carried to the drying rooms.

It will thus be seen that as the blocks or tile are placed on` the belt 17 parallel grooves or serrations will be formed in the lower ends of 'the block or tile, due `to the fact that the mixture of the material at this stage of the operiitionV is such asy will permit thema;

terial" to enter the grooves by the Weight of the block as it is placed in position. Grooves `wheel 12 before described,

are formed on the upperend of'the tile orV spokes .30.'` The periphery of the drum is provided with 4a Series of circiunferential V Shapedugrooves `3l, the lower side ofv said drum being spaced above the belt a distance slightly less than the vertical length of the blocks. i These grooves may be formed longi- `tudinally or diagonally Without materially affecting the operation of the machine.

By the above construction, it will be seen that as the belt 17 is advanced and the pullley 16 is rotated, the plastic blocks on the forwaldyendof the belt will be moved beneath the roller 29, said roller being rotated the `opposite direction from the belt lT by means of the belt 26. Corrugations or serrations Will be formed in the upper ends of the blocks similar to those formed in the lower ends. The diameters ot' the pulleys 12u and 25 are 0i Such ratio as to cause the periphery of the drum 29 to travel at a speed substantially equal to that ot the bolt 17. This will prevent the blocks from being tilted as they pass under the drums and a round edge formed on one of the lower corners of the block, ,Y To prevent material from sticking in the groovesl, I have formed the said drum hollow andf have provided a blow.v torch 33, which is placed onthe shelf 28, the burner portion of the torch being of such elevation as tol torce heated air within the drum 29. rIfhis will cause the grooved portion to becoti'leihot. When the blocks are moved under the drum when it is thus heated, steam .will be formed on account of the moisture `urithilntlie block, which will prevent the material from sticking to the grooves.

'lhusjitiwill be seen that plastic blocks or tile maybe automatically provided with cor- `qrugated;or serrated ends with a very small `amountof out-lay as tocost and with no additional cost as to manual labor, thebelt 17 'andthe table l() beingnecessary inthe operationofmaking hollow block or tile. Y

I claim: 1.@In a device for corrugating plastic blocks, the combination of anhollow roller having a corrugated surface, and means for. heating the corrugated port-ion of said roller.

2. A support, a conveyor having a series ot' grooves 'in its tace, a transverse and rotatably mounted drum spaced from the conveyor and having a series of grooves in its periphery, means for driving the conveyor.l and means for driving the nearer faces of said drum and conveyor in the same. direction. i

3. A. support, a conveyor having a series ot grooves in its face, a transverse and rotatably mounted drum spaced from the conveyor and havinga series oi' grooves in its periphery, means for` driving the conveyor', means for drivingthe nearer tacos of the drum and conveyor in the same direction, and nieansi'or heating thc drum for thcpurpose stated.

A support, a horizontally arranged belt conveyor having a series of closely arranged grooves in its face designed to carry vertically arranged blocks formed of' plastic mate-rial, a transverse and rotatably mounted drum provided with a closely arranged series ot grooves in its periphery, the said drinn being spaced from the conveyor a distance substantially equal 4to the vertical length of said blocks, means for driving the conveyor, and means for driving the lower 'tare of the periphery ofthe drum at a speed substantially equal to the speed of the coniicyor and in the same direction.

A support, a conveyor belt provided with :i himgitudinally grooved` face designed to receive vertically arranged plastic blocks,

a transverse and rotatably mounted drum` having a circumferentially grooved periphery spaced above said conveyor belt a distance substantially equal tothe length of said blocks, and means for rotating the face ot said drum in the same 4direction as the conveyor belt and at a peripheral speed sub? stantially equal thereto. f,

6. A support, a conveyor belt provided with a grooved face designed to. receive vertically arranged plastic blocks, a transverse and rotatably mountedv drum having a grooved periphery spaced above said conveyor belta distance substantially equal to i the length of said blocks, means for rotating the lower face of said drum in the same direc-tion as the top of the conveyor belt and at a. peripheral speed substantially equal thereto. and means for heating the interior of said drum for the purpose stated.

` 7. In a device for corrugating plastic blocks, the combination of a member having a corrugated surface, means for applying the corrugated surface of said member to a plastic block, and means for heatingthe @orf ruga/ted portion of 4poses stated.

said member, for the pur* nanvnn RUrUs STRAIGHT. 

